My 2012 Big Year

Thursday, 5 July 2012

Withdrawal

It's been 10 days since I added a new bird to my year list, let alone saw anything more than backyard feeder birds and some swans and gulls down by the lake. Of course, I've been working every day since I returned from Texas. There has been one good bird in the area in the last week, a wayward Magnificent Frigatebird, but I've already seen them in Florida and though it would be a nice addition to my Ontario list, too much time would have been involved in chasing it.

One thing I've learned is to plan a Big Year way in advance so you aren't chasing a difficult bird in Ontario when it would be an easy bird in, say, Florida. Case in point, the White-winged Dove. It was a rarity here in Ontario. I knew it was a bird that could be seen in Florida, so I didn't make the long drive up to North Bay to chase it. However, I wasted too much time chasing it in Florida, since it's almost as easy to find in Arizona and Texas as Robins and Starlings are in Ontario.

Now it is off to Newfoundland tomorrow, so we can start a week of non stop birding again. Hopefully there will be a rarity or two appear there while we are birding. I am excited about the Atlantic Puffins and all the other pelagic birds we could see, and I will once again be will be well medicated before getting on the boat. Hopefully it will be warmer and dryer than it was on the Alaskan pelagic trip.

So, after nearly a week of restless anticipation, and birding withdrawal, which has led to some bizarre birding dreams the last few nights, I am ready to head out on the road again, or in this case, out to sea, so to speak. If I were doing an unrestricted Big Year, and money wasn't an issue, I'd be making a pitstop in Quebec for a possible Little Egret, but not, alas, this Big Year.

And if anyone out there has tried my iPhone Digi-scoping idea, from yesterday's blog, I'd love to hear how it worked out for you.